School's Potential Loss of Accreditation Alarms Students

When they learned last winter that their high school might lose its
accreditation, Susan Haines' worried students pelted her with
questions: Would the school close? Would colleges accept them? Would
they be sent to different schools in the fall?

"I didn't teach much that day," the Hartford Public High School
science teacher said. "I spent the whole day answering their
concerns."

But few of those answers have lessened the students' anxiety as the
school nears a final judgment. The New England Association of Schools
and College's Board of Trustees plans to decide Sept. 18 whether to
follow the recommendation of one of its commissions and cancel the
1,630-student school's accreditation.

In fact, losing accreditation in Connecticut is a little like
flunking a test that doesn't figure into a final grade. Like a number
of states, the Constitution State hasn't required public schools to
secure the blessing of the area's regional accrediting body. As a
private organization in which membership is voluntary, the Bedford,
Mass.-based NEASC has no authority to close schools, transfer staff
members, or demand improvements.

But losing accreditation does sting. It sends a compelling message
that a community of educators no longer believes a school is serving
its students. And its impact is evident in the public outcry and
political response that usually follow, as it has in Connecticut's
state capital.

The Last Straw

The bad news about Hartford Public High--reputed to be the country's
second-oldest public high school--became the last straw prompting a
state takeover of the entire 25,000-student district. Hartford Public
has the largest enrollment of three secondary schools in a district
that has long been plagued by low student performance and complaints of
mismanagement.

Similarly, a critical NEASC report on a high school in Lawrence,
Mass., now has lawmakers weighing state intervention.

Students, meanwhile, are left fearing the unknown. Many college
admissions officials, employers, and national honor societies say loss
of accreditation doesn't automatically preclude students from
eligibility, but they also acknowledge that it can affect their view of
the school.

"I think it may make us somewhat more careful in our review" of an
application, said John Kolano of the admissions department at the
University of Connecticut. "But it in no way across the board closes
the door."

Acting as a simple stamp of approval on one level, the accreditation
process also is designed to drive school improvement.

As a kind of quality-control mechanism, private organizations such
as the NEASC work outside the realm of government regulations. Some
states have, however, created their own approval processes for public
schools.

Before joining the approximately 700 public middle and high schools
in six New England states that are members of the 117-year-old NEASC, a
school undergoes a lengthy approval process. Groups of educators
evaluate how well a school lives up to standards in such areas as
curriculum, facilities, finances, and staff support. ("Once Status Symbol for Schools,
Accreditation Becomes Rote Drill," March 26, 1997.)

To maintain accreditation, a school submits to periodic evaluation.
Every 10 years, an NEASC team conducts an on-site evaluation that
includes dozens of interviews with teachers, administrators, students,
and parents. In the years between visits, the schools conduct
self-evaluations and provide detailed progress reports.

"I'm becoming a big fan of accreditation," said state Rep. Cameron
Staples, who co-chairs Connecticut's joint education committee. "It's
about as comprehensive a top-to-bottom assessment as you can expect.
It's really a self-help process," said the Democrat.

Since 1994, about 200 site visits have resulted in NEASC termination
of only two high schools' accreditation--both in Massachusetts. Another
two dozen New England secondary schools are on probation, including
another one in Hartford. Hartford Public High School hasn't yet lost
accreditation, but after hearing the visiting team's report, the
group's Commission on Public Secondary Schools notified the school that
it would recommend nullification.

The NEASC report on the Hartford school cited scores of
deficiencies, including high dropout rates, lack of professional
development for teachers, large class sizes, outdated equipment, the
"deplorable condition" of athletic facilities, and an infestation of
rodents and insects.

A Silver Lining?

The commission's announcement has drawn mixed reactions.

"It's unfair," said Corey Brinson, a student representative on the
school's governance team who is beginning his senior year. "I live in
this town, and I may go to the only school in the state that's lost its
accreditation."

Officials at the NEASC maintain that individual students have little
to worry about in applying to college, especially those who prove
themselves with good grades, high standardized-test scores, and
leadership activities.

"We try to make it very clear to colleges and universities that
we're not in the business of penalizing kids," said Vincent L.
Ferrandino, the group's executive director and chief executive
officer.

Although the bad news did little to help morale at the school, many
teachers expressed hope that the decision would prompt long-needed
improvements.

"I was on the record from the beginning as saying, 'Let's plead
guilty and go on to correct it,'" said Hoby Littlefield, a math teacher
at the high school for the past 30 years.

That has been the experience of other schools. When the NEASC
stripped Boston's Jeremiah Burke High School of accreditation in 1995,
city and school officials vowed that it would never happen again. The
school quickly got $4 million from the city to pay for facilities
improvements and a new principal who recruited about 40 new staff
members. Test scores remain low, but Principal Steven Leonard reports
ample evidence of improvement--from the updated books in the library to
a significant drop in tardiness.

"I think the best thing that could have happened to the Burke, was
the loss of accreditation," he said.

But the students in Hartford understandably have more trouble
appreciating the big picture.

"For us who are applying to college, it's hard to look at this and
say it's a good thing," said Hartford senior Marisa J. Futernick. "When
the changes are made, we won't be around anymore. We're just here for
the hard times."

Pleas for Probation

Hartford officials are appealing the commission's recommendation in
the hope of swaying the accrediting group by the time its board meets
later this month to make a final decision. The appeals process gives a
school three chances to make its case, and the district has struck out
twice already.

Although conceding that many deficiencies have existed, Hartford
officials argue that the NEASC should give the school a probationary
period to make more improvements, which the organization has done in
most other cases--but which Mr. Ferrandino said it has no obligation to
do.

District leaders also point to the flurry of activity in Hartford in
the past several months that they say has addressed many of the NEASC's
concerns. A new superintendent took over in March, and she recently
replaced all of Hartford Public High's top administrators.

When the Connecticut legislature last spring voted to seize control
of the entire district, it earmarked $20 million for Hartford Public,
and this summer the building has undergone significant improvements.
("Conn. Bill To Seize Hartford Schools
Passes," April 23, 1997.)

In another sign of how accreditation can be used to spur
improvement, the lawmakers stipulated that all schools in the Hartford
district must now seek and gain accreditation--a rule that doesn't
apply to schools elsewhere in the state.

"We don't want to challenge [the accreditors'] veracity so much as
to try to convince them that the state has and we have taken
extraordinary steps to address these things," said Robert Furek, the
chairman of the district's new state appointed board of trustees.

PHOTO: Above, although Hartford Public
High School traces its beginnings to 1638, the school's present
facilities were built in 1962. Evaluators found fault with high dropout
rates, lack of professional development for teachers, and outdated
equipment. The prospect of punishment worries Corey Brinson,
left.
"I may go to the only school in the state that has lost its
accreditation," says the Hartford senior.--Benjamin Tice Smith

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